


American Beauty/Asgardian Psycho

by infinitrinx



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-06 13:59:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4224348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinitrinx/pseuds/infinitrinx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Perhaps randomly tapping her card to doors and wandering around was not the best idea.<br/>Or perhaps it was the best idea she's ever made.<br/>Darcy's not sure, it depends on how you look at it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crazynoona](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazynoona/gifts).



> My first Tasertricks story. Yay!  
> This story features post-Avengers Loki in an AU where SHIELD keeps him on Earth instead of sending him back to Asgard.  
> I hope you enjoy! Any and all constructive criticism is always welcome!

_I'm the best worst thing_  
_That hasn't happened to you yet_  
_\- American Beauty/American Psycho by Fall Out Boy_

 

* * *

 

 

Only Darcy Lewis could manage to screw up her job on her first day, scrap that, first hour. Being late is one of her many useless talents, amongst annoying people, wriggling her way into endearment, punishable puns, procrastinating and the proper care and management of overly obsessed scientists.  
Actually, the last one was quite a useful talent. Without her wonderful gift, Jane and Erik would probably be lying half-starved on the floor of the lab still trying to do Science.  
Yes Science with a capital ‘S’. Because what Jane and Erik did was definitely not science. Darcy had studied and passed her science in college. Capital S Science was an entirely different realm of studies. Literally.

On the topic of her only actual useful talent, she really needed to find the labs to feed and water the Scientists.  
Which brings us back to the beginning:

Darcy was sprinting.  
Chest heaving, heart pounding, sweat trickling.  
The sweat was quite unfortunate. She’d showered and dressed nicely this morning for her first day working, yes working no longer interning, for Jane and Erik at SHIELD. Now her blue blouse was plastered to her back from sweat and her painfully styled hair was ridden by flyaways. But her dishevelled appearance was the least of her problems right now.  
Because in the labyrinth of a super-secret government base, Darcy Lewis had gotten herself hopelessly, ridiculously lost.

Each hallways seemed identical to the other, same boring grey metal walls, same official SHIELD emblem. It was impossible to distinguish whether she was going in circles or not. She probably was.

In her experience, the places she had been to were constantly a bustle of suffocating activity. There would be agents scampering around, there would be scientists scribbling notes. The atmosphere would be alive with the clacking of fingers on keyboards and the yells of orders and Fury being furious and sometimes guns and alarms. The air would be humming from all the living beings sharing a space, vicariously doing work, breathing the same oxygen, serving the same purpose.

But wherever Darcy was, there was not a soul around. That posed several complications. Firstly, there was no one around to stop for directions. Secondly, it was possible that everyone in SHIELD had been abducted by aliens. Or thirdly, and most pressingly likely, she was in a restricted section of SHIELD that she was really not supposed to be in.

Yeah. She’s going to get fired on her first day of work.

 

* * *

 

“Hey scientists! Quick question. Now that I’m officially working with you guys, for money yayy, uh… how do I get to SHIELD labs on my own?”

“Here kid. You can use my card for now. Just show it to the guards when you come in and tell them you’re working with us. Tap it on any of the scanners on the doors and it should let you through.”

“Thanks Er!”

“Don’t call me Er. And don’t lose it!”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry Rik. I’ve got this baby glued to my behind.”

“Don’t call me Rik!”

Darcy drops the SHIELD pass she was twirling in her hands.  
“Crap!”

“ **Don’t lose it!** ”

 

* * *

 

Ok well, Darcy didn’t lose the card.  
Instead she was lost but the card was still in her possession so that counted for something right?

Perhaps randomly tapping her card to doors and wandering around was not the best idea. But its not like there was a giant neon sign with a flashing arrow dictating “This way to the labs ->”. There was not even a wall map. Even IKEA had a wall map!  
Sure, she could have asked one of the many suits she saw bustling around when she first arrived but, she wasn’t lost at the time! Plus she wanted to look around a bit. Just a little.

Ok fine. She wanted to snoop around in a super-secret underground government agency. Its not like one gets the opportunity to do so everyday.

Whatever the case, Darcy had no idea what else to do than continue randomly opening doors and hope Team Science’s lab is behind them. She ran from door to door, tapping her card against the scanner as she went to get a glimpse of the inside before taking off again.

Weapons, no.  
Top secret files, no.  
Broom closet, no.  
Chemical supplies, no.  
Some room full of screens depicting security footage from around the world, creepy. But still, no.

Darcy snuck a glance at her watch. She was an hour and a half late.  
Her throat constricted and something in the pit of her stomach reared in a way that was unrelated to the stitches currently gripping her sides.

Then, it was door 00548 on the left that opened and gave Darcy a sweet injection of relief. The emotion coursed through her veins, cooling the heated fear of panic. The doors slid open with a heavy metal hiss to reveal a large grey room (why was everything here grey? The contractor of this base really needs to be sacked.), its expanse occupied by long glass tables, burdened under the weight of papers spread haphazardly upon them. Scrawled onto the papers were equations and notes in Science that Darcy will never understand. In the corner of the room, a chemistry setup was bubbling a dark purple solution. Charts of stars and graphs of astronomical energies plastered the walls.  
Darcy flung herself through the door without a second thought.

“Ohmygawwwd! I’m so _so_ sorry I’m late, please don’t kill me. If it makes it better I got both of you bagels from Starbucks. Here, take them and please don’t fire me.”

Darcy began rummaging through her sling bag for the bagels she had bought earlier this morning. Hopefully they weren’t squashed…

“Shit. I’m sorry. The bagels got squashed while I was running like a mad rabbit around SHIELD. They’re still edible though so if-“  
Darcy looked up from her bag and froze.

The flattened bagel in her hand fell to the floor from numb fingers. Randomly tapping her card to doors and wandering around was _definitely_ not a good idea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bagels rock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!!!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the tremendous positive feedback on the first chapter. The tasertricks fandom is seriously too nice I love you all. Anyway, I'm in school now so updates will be slower but I got this out as fast as I could.
> 
> ALSO GUYS!!! SAY HAPPY DAY OF BIRTH TO MISCHIEFSLADY (belated tho).
> 
> Enjoy!

_I’m not passive but aggressive_   
_Take note it’s not impressive_   
_\- The Kids Aren’t Alright by Fall Out Boy_

* * *

 

 Darcy’s rapidly cooling panic returned tenfold.

It swept over her from the top of her head, down to her feet, settling into her stomach like a rotting dumbbell. Her pulse roared in her ears and she scrambled backwards.  
“Y-you!” she stammered, her back colliding with the now closed door.  
“Me?” he replied, baritone voice smooth and cold as polished ice.

He stood off to the right of the room, standing beside a huge complicated graph of…something on the wall. His hair was a terrible mess, unruly and curling to his shoulders in a frizz instead of slicked back and neat like Darcy had seen on the news. Another change from what she had seen of him, his armor (and ridiculous helmet) was gone. Instead he donned a pair of simple black cotton pants and a long sleeved shirt, black too, with the SHIELD emblem stamped on his left breast, above a string of numbers.

He stood with his arms held loosely by his side, shoulders slumped, watching Darcy curiously with an uncomfortably intense gaze. Like a rabbit spotted by the fox, Darcy was frozen in absolute terror, eyes wide, heart palpitating, back pressed so hard against the door one would think she was trying to osmosise through it (she was). It became a strange sort of staring game. That intimate moment between prey and predator where they simply look, stare, gaze at each other, in terror and anticipation respectively.

Then he turned his body to follow his line of sight and began slinking his way towards Darcy. Darcy could feel heat bearing down on her from above to press upon her with the heavy weight of panic. Her heart thrummed a frantic rhythm through her blood. Run, run, run! It seemed to say. RunrunrunRUNRUN!

Suddenly, Darcy was unfrozen and she clawed in her bag for her taser in a flurry of movement.  
“I’ve got a taser! And I’m not afraid to use it on your villainous ass.”

Glee ignited on the predator’s face, baring his fangs in an inviting grin. _Come closer, little rabbit. I dare you._ The fox beckoned.  
“Do you truly believe that such a pitiful defense will be of any use against the likeness of I?”, the fox crouched low, ready to pounce, “I, Loki Laufeyson of Jotunheim.”

He advanced as he spoke, till only a few mere feet and a shakily held taser separated them. Darcy's finger latched onto the trigger and the electrified prongs of the weapon shot out. Loki's hand snapped out just as quickly, grabbing onto the taser's wires and yanking, hard. The spent device flew out of Darcy's hand and hit the floor at Loki's feet with a dull thud. Leering at the stricken girl, the god cast aside the weapon where it slid upon the smooth cement to stop a distance away.

"You either have great courage or great stupidity. I think it to be the latter." Loki continued his approach, as if he had never even stopped.  
"Why are you here, mortal?" He sneered the last word, lunging as he did so. Darcy flinched, cornered between his arms. He was leaning into her space, so close, that their noses would have touched if Darcy moved in the slightest.

Darcy was sure she was going to faint. Or die. Or faint and then die because the maniac slit her unconscious throat. Loki's proximity was not helping matters either. His and her breath intermingled and she could feel the heat of his exhaled air ghost upon her lips, down her throat, searing into her lungs.  
It felt like she was breathing in poison.

Up close, she could see every detail of Loki's physique. He was gaunt and unhealthily pale, a sickly grey pallor tainting his skin. The hollows of his cheeks could compete with Angelina Jolie's.  
Equal parts weariness and suppressed power clung to the lines of the god, in the minute slouch of his shoulders, the set of his jaw. Evidence of unrest smudged in bags beneath pink tinged eyes.

Eyes which bore into Darcy with an uncomfortable intensity.  
Darcy drew a shaky breath and she heard her voice speak without her violation.  
"Dude, you don't look so hot."

Loki's eyes widened in something that resembled surprise, a strange glee shining in the depths of his green eyes.  
"A little girl dares critique a god?"

Loki's hand crept to encircle Darcy's throat. Her fingers scrabbled at his tightening hand.  
"L-let go!" She managed to choke out.

Loki's grip suddenly nulled and Darcy found herself in a heap before him, massaging her neck and gasping for air. Then her head was yanked upwards by a fist in her hair, pain burning her scalp.  
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed, flailing in an attempt to hit Loki's crotch.

Loki dropped Darcy, retreating from his assault. Darcy pressed herself to the wall behind her, rising to her feet to evade the vulnerable position.  
Darcy stared at Loki, heart palpitating in her chest. Loki stared at Darcy, interest and irritation gleaming in his eyes. A muscle twitches in his jaw.

The rabbit and the fox, back right where they started.

Loki made to move and a stream of words gushed forth from Darcy's mouth as it often happened in high anxiety situations.  
"Don't hurt me or kill me or maim me or whatever goes on in that knoggin. I'm just a newly grad poli science student with a tendency to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, seriously. Here!" Darcy offered up the other squashed bagel, "Take the bagel as a.... Peace offering! It's a peace pastry. Everyone loves bagels, amiright? I mean. It's squashed but it's still edible. Ok just take it and don't kill me."

Darcy hadn't really believed he'd take the flattened breakfast food. But he tentatively closed the space between them and took the bagel from her outstretched hand. Darcy cringed away internally but held her ground nonetheless.

He stared at the bagel like it was a puzzle that he needed to solve. Loki stood before her but Darcy was no longer afraid. All the menace had drained from his being to be replaced with.... Confusion.  
Loki looked up at Darcy, brows furrowed, lips pursed.

"Why are you here?" He asked again. This time much softer as if he was speaking to himself rather than her.

The metal door beside Darcy hissed open and four heavily armed guards rushed in, guns trained, buckles clinking. Fury followed after, barking orders and exuding... well, furiousness. Jane and Erick brought up the rear, flushed and panting.

The guards seized Loki by the shoulders and forced him to his knees, a gun resting at the point between his shoulders. Fury was yelling something at him and Team Science was fluttering around Darcy, tittering concerns.  
But neither heard anything.

Loki stared at Darcy  
Darcy stared right back.  
The world faded away and for an inexplicable moment, it was just them.

Why are you here?  
I got lost.  
Don't we all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I hope you liked this chappy.
> 
> Like/comment/kudos if you think me worthy!  
> Love,  
> Trinity.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Backstories and explanations~

_And with the black banners raised_  
_As the crooked smiles fade_  
_Former heroes who quit too late_

_\- The Kids Aren't Alright by Fall Out Boy_

* * *

 

It turns out that the lab was at the other side of the base.  
Oops.

Aside from Fury’s intensive interrogation on the subject in the immediate after,  no one had mentioned the incident. Jane carried on Sciencing with Erik and Darcy kept fetching coffee and transcribing notes. Everything went on as per normal.  
No one mentioned him, so Darcy never spoke of him.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t think of him. Because she did. He was practically all she thought about.  
He woke up with her in the morning, lingering on the edges of her brain.  
He was there in the green when she walked through the park.  
He was there in the science when she was at work.  
He was there, twinkling in the stars when she gazed up into the night.  
Thoughts of him followed her home with his hands around her neck instead of her scarf.  
When she lay down in bed, the darkness reminded her of his hair and when she closed her eyes, he skirted into her dreams.

Darcy thought she was going crazy. Was this some form of PTSD? He did kinda strangle her. But then he didn’t. Why? Why had he stopped? No villain would drop everything and shrug simply because a random girl told them to stop. She felt like she had survivor’s guilt even though there were no other people involved but her.

Why had he let her go?  
Why had he listened to her?  
Why was he here?  
Why? Why? Why?

The question simmers in her subconscious, boiling, bubbling, steaming until it got too hot and the pressure is too much and it was a Thursday afternoon when she blurts out to Jane,  
“Hey Jane. Does Thor like bagels? Like, really really like bagels? ‘Willing to not kill you if you give me bagels’ intensity of like? And does that apply to all Asgardians?”

Jane shot Erik a look, something that was a concoction of ‘Here we go…’ and ‘I told you so’.  
“Darce, look. We can’t really say anything because you do not have clearance to that information. Erik and I had to sign secrecy forms and you’re not high enough a level to-“

Darcy felt something inside her twinge in betrayal. She had worked with these people for years, practically looked after their basic necessities, went through near-death experiences ( **plural!** ) with them **_and_** remembered exactly how they like their coffees and they won’t tell her about what was happening when she got _strangled_ by a _god_!

“Clearance levels can go kiss an octopus! In case you forgot, an evil Norse god decided he wanted to be my necklace! I almost died in there Jane. And you won’t tell me what you know about this because of some papers you’d signed? Seriously, Jane. I thought I meant more to you than that.”

Darcy knew she was being unfair, the stuff Jane and Erik signed were definitely more than just a few papers. But the disloyalty kinda stung although she knew they were valid reasons. Plus the unanswered questions had roiled in her mind for almost an entire month, like food left out of the fridge for too long it began to fester, growing wild theories like mold, breeding curiosity like bacteria. Darcy felt the need for answers like a thirst, burning raw and hot in her throat, constricting down to her heart and the pit of her stomach.

Simply referring to the event made it all play out in her mind again like an old cassette, worn out from overuse. She could feel his hands wrapping around her neck, pressing with a sure, unstoppable, hesitantless force. Darcy was choking in the middle of the lab.  
Then she realised her vision was blurry and that he wasn’t smothering her but she was crying. (Or perhaps, he was, in a sense, because it was he who made her feel this way.)

Erik rubbed the back of his neck.  
“Listen, Kid. We’re sorry. We want to tell you everything. But-“

Darcy didn’t hear his lame excuse. Instead she packed her belongings, slung her bag over her shoulder and stalked out of the room. 

* * *

 

 **From: Boss Lady 7:38pm**  
Hey Darce. Please don’t be mad at us. We do value you, more than anything. But god knows what SHIELD would do to us if we told you. I’m so sorry. Please try to understand.

 **From: Boss Lady 8:22pm**  
Darcy? Did you see my message?

 **From: Boss Lady 9:07pm**  
Darce... Please. Can you at least respond?

 **Missed Call** : Boss Lady 9:13pm

 **To: Boss Lady 9:20pm**  
I have the right to know.

 **From: Boss Lady 10:49pm**  
Meet me at the Starbucks to the left of the mall. 

* * *

 

There was no Starbucks to the left of the mall.  
To the left of the mall was a cheerfully lit Burger King, wafting delicious smells upon passers-by. But that was not where they were meeting. A while back, Team Science had devised a system of meeting points around New York whereby they could meet up during a crisis event. Each place had its own codename, linked to places that do not exist so anyone monitoring them would be thrown off.

The pharmacy in Stark Tower was the SHIELD safehouse.  
The comic store near the bank was the storage place which held all their research files.  
The penthouse in our hotel was the rooftop of Jane’s apartment building.  
The Starbucks to the left of the mall was the open field in Central Park where they went to observe constellations.

Darcy didn’t respond to Jane’s text. She just pulled on a sweater and went off the meet her friend. It was late March, so it was still a little chilly outside.  
It was a clear night, the kind Jane would have been freaking out over to study had the circumstances been different. The pathways were lit with help from the celestial bodies hundreds of thousands of miles away. The stars were jewels, inlaid into the obsidian night sky. The moon was a semi-circle, hung like a portrait, clear and glowing in pride.

Darcy saw Jane’s silhouette on the field, hands tucked under her arms, gazing up into the sky and beyond. The grass rustled under her feet as she approached and Jane heard her, lowering her attentions from the sky to the ground, but didn’t turn. Darcy stood by Jane in silence for some moments, hands in her jeans pockets, breath coming out in gentle wisps.

“I’m sorry Darcy. You mean a lot to Erik and I, really.” Jane wrung her hands, “But you know I couldn’t tell you-“  
“Wow. Really?” Darcy rolled her eyes and began turning away.  
“I couldn’t tell you there!” Jane rushed, moving to block Darcy’s way, “I couldn’t tell you there. We were literally in a SHIELD base, Darce.”  
Oh.  
“Oh.” 

* * *

 

Loki was brought back to Asgard for justice. But the All-Father didn’t want justice. He had wanted execution. The hopeless pleadings from Thor and fruitless cries of his wife had meant nothing to him. Loki simply stood there, impassive as ever, bound and muzzled like a rabid animal meaning to strike. He remained compliant and unresponsive throughout, allowing the guards to rough handle him and lead him to his cell, awaiting the axe of that tomorrow would bring.

That night, Frigga had wept in Thor’s arms while Thor himself mourned for a brother, just found, just lost. But he wasn’t lost yet.  
After Frigga had cried herself dry, resolve emerged from sorrow, etched itself into the sand of the desert she had cried into existence.

With Thor’s help, she broke Loki out of his confinement, stole a book on Dark Arts and sent Loki to Midgard where he would be safe from her husband’s rule.

But the people of Midgard were not without protection. While he had stumbled onto the soil of the realm chained, exhausted and gagged, the true binding was not to be seen with a human eye. Frigga had befallen a curse upon her son.

He must comply with any and all orders a Midgardian would submit upon him.  
The fallen royalty of The Golden Realm must quash his pride and be the servant of those he tried to conquer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> And thank you all so so so much for all the nice comments and kudos and wow. This is the best fandom ever, seriously.
> 
> Comment/kudos/share if you think me worthy!  
> Any and all constructive criticism is welcome.  
> Love,  
> Trinity


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter but with more stuff happening so its not exactly a filler chapter but its sort of a filler chapter sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> There has been so much positive feedback to this story that I have been gravitating towards continuing it. Unfortunately, school is picking up its pace and its getting busier and busier. Thankfully, I managed to produce this thing!  
> I wanted to write more but I feel like I need to give you all something first so I'm just posting what I've come up with so far. This is kind of dry (to me) because there is more plot buildup than plot happening but, atlas, the buildup must be done.
> 
> Read and enjoy! (and i need to sleep ugh)

_The blood, the blood, the blood of the lamb_   
_Is worth two lions, but here I am_   
_\- Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy  
_

* * *

 

He had been a constant in her mind for an entire month now.

Yet, after Jane’s revelation, his mental presence was different. Before, the thought of him was like a cloud, drifting over the blue sky of her thoughts, filling it and shrouding it with him such that Darcy could barely think of anything else. But now, he was like a filter. Darcy could see her own thoughts just fine, but a light tinge of him lingered in everything she saw.

With this newfound clarity of vision, Darcy found something amiss amongst Team Science’s notes.  
Jane wrote in tiny, nearly incomprehensible chicken-scratch.  
Erik wrote in chunky, blocks of script.  
The notes that she was transcribing were written in an elegant hand, all looping letters and slight slant to the right.

Darcy ran her forefinger across a sentence, feeling the indents the writing made onto the paper.  
“Janey?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Could you come here a moment?”

Rustling of paper and the sound of feet shuffling towards her came from behind Darcy’s left shoulder.  
“What?” Jane said.  
“Whose handwriting is this?”

* * *

“But why is he here?”  
“Uh… I just told you.”  
“No, I meant why is he _here_ here? In SHIELD? Why did they tuck him away nice and cosy like someone on house arrest? He should be paying for his crimes! He destroyed New York and practically flattened Puente Antiguo! Sure, he’s got that dandy curse on him but-“

Darcy thought the world was spinning. Well technically the world was spinning, albeit slowly, but Darcy meant the world was spinning really, extremely quickly and she thought she was going to puke. Realisation-not dawned- but crashed into her. He had to follow orders. He had to follow all orders. Loki was at the mercy of Fury and SHIELD and what did SHIELD do the last time they got their hands on something powerful?

They weaponised it.

“Darce? Are you ok?” Jane rested a hand on Darcy’s shoulder, grounding her to reality, drawing her out of her thoughts.  
“Yeah! Sorry. I just remembered, I think I left the stove on.” Darcy said, rushing out of the field to her waiting car.

* * *

 Jane bit her lip and something nudged Darcy’s apprehension into anxiety.

“Loki’s…” Jane said finally.  
Her heart was clawing at its cage of bones and she felt anxiety spread through her system to settle itself in her fingers and toes, buzzing and tingling.  
“Oh. Ok.” She shrugged at Jane who released a nervous breath.

“Oh, before I forget. We’re having a specialist come in next Monday to help us with the engineering mechanics of the Einstein-Rosen bridge.” Jane said slightly too enthusiastically.  
“Great! That should put some shock to our lightning. So you can get your Thunder back. If you know what I-“

Jane rolled her eyes and returned to her work and left Darcy staring at the paper in her hands, filled by his words. She lifted a quivering finger to trace his sentences, pad of her forefinger embracing the form of the script. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Darcy kept the papers away, standing from her desk to stretch tiredly.  
“I’m going to go grab a coffee. You guys want anything?”  
“My usual please!” Erik declared.  
Darcy flashed him a thumbs up and he smiled.  
“Thanks, kid.”  
“No probolemo, Vig!”  
“Don’t call me Vig!”

Darcy walked down the slightly more familiar but no less confusing hallways as slowly as possible. She needed time to clear her thoughts, lose herself in the insipid drone of the system. So Darcy walked slowly through the hallways, allowing the white noise of agents chattering into their comms and scientists bustling around and fellow coffee gophers dodging the mill while balancing arrays of sandwiches and cups of coffee and burgers and blueberries (Ironman started the trend) and bagels… oh, bagels.

Shaking him out of her mind, Darcy continued on her way, forcing herself to think of nothing. She was just another face in the crowd, a droplet in the tide. She let the waves wash over her and drag her down, down into The System. 

* * *

 

When Darcy returned to the lab, bearing caffeinated wonderfulness, her head was much cleared. Detoxing her thoughts from him, if only for a while, gave her revenue for a breather and she found herself with a better clarity of mind. Or maybe that was the coffee. It was probably the coffee.

Nonetheless, subjecting herself to be immersed in The System where she was just a screw in the machine, an ant to the hive, a nameless face amongst an organisation of nameless faces, she found that she enjoyed it- to an extent. To lose one’s identity to become vicarious with so many others made one feel a part of the community, feel included, feel belonging. Yet, to lose one’s identity is a tragic thing in itself. It was definitely refreshing to have your mind belong to a cause than him.

He owned her mind and did not even know it. Darcy felt cheap.  
She missed the time when her mind belonged to _her_. But then again, perhaps that was longing for a time that never existed. Before him, she belonged to Jane. Before Jane, she belonged to the school’s system. Before that, she belonged to her parent’s system.

_It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation._

A shudder dragged its nails down Darcy’s spine. She took a deep drink from her coffee. Then she picked up the paper and made what was probably the second worst (or best, it depends on how you look at it.) decision in her life. (The first was running around randomly opening doors.)

Now, it’s not unusual for Darcy to send notes back to the scientists. Every once in awhile, there would be an equation that didn’t match up with the rest of the data. Sometimes, it was simply the fact that scientists write so horribly that the scribbles are just that… unintelligible scribbles and Darcy needed the equations to be “Written in English and numbers! Not pencil acrobatics. Gosh.”

 _There’s nothing wrong. I just want to say hi._  
Darcy scribbled into an obscure column that was filled with other jumbles of equations and sentences written in his hand.

“Jane? There’s something up with a line here.”  
“What? Oh ok. I’ll send it back.” 

* * *

 

Ok, Darcy had seen plenty of anomalies. She had seen actual legit magic, sorta kinda decepticons, Norse Gods, ancient artifacts, assassins and that one girl who could stuff 97 marsh mellows in her mouth during a Chubby Bunny game. One would think nothing would surprise her anymore. Yet, Tony Stark randomly appearing in Jane’s lab the following Monday morning was quite an anomaly.

“ohmygod.” Darcy squeaked before promptly slamming her working ‘supplies’ (literally just her phone, a planner, a pencil case and the stack of notes Erik asked her to print for him.) onto a nearby desk. “Oh. My. God.”

Darcy could feel utter fangirl adoration rush into her cheeks with an astounding warmth. An elation bounded its way into her and she whirled around to giggle to Jane.  
“Tony Stark is standing in our lab.”  
“Yes… He is…?”  
“We are breathing the same air as Tony Stark.”  
“…”  
“I am standing literally less than 5 feet away from one of the most famous people on Earth.”

Darcy patted her pockets hysterically before producing her phone and shoving it at Jane.  
“Uh… Hi! Can I have a photo with you?”  
Tony’s grin widened even further. He scratched his goatee, pretending to think about it.  
“Hmmn. Alright, sure.”

Darcy planted herself into the nook of Tony’s arm and he curled it around her waist. Darcy wasn’t even grinning for the camera now, she just couldn’t stop smiling in general. The flash went off and Darcy snatched her device back into her possession, promptly changing all her backgrounds to the image. She would have uploaded it to her Facebook, but the last time she snapped a pic of relatively famous people, SHIELD hacked into her account and took it down. And she really did not want them decrypting her current password. (It was ‘IFYOU’RE5HIELDASSHOLESGET0FFMYFACEB00K!’)

“Tony, this is Darcy, my assistant. Darcy… wait never mind. You know who he is.” Jane said.  
“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but. Why are you here?” Darcy asked Ironman. (!!!!!!!)  
“You didn’t tell her about me? Awh, Foster. I’m hurt. I’m telling Thor when he gets back.” Tony mocked offence, putting a hand over his heart.  
“He’s the specialist Jane told you about!” Erik called over from his desk, still hunched over a graph.

It was Monday morning. The specialist was arriving. Tony Stark was the specialist. Wow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you soo much for reading!  
> Comment/kudos/share if you think me worthy!  
> Any and all constructive criticism is welcome.  
> Have a wonderful day/night/whatever time it is when you're reading this!
> 
> Love,  
> Trinity


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi peoplings! I am so sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long!
> 
> I was going through some personal stuff and school and ugh.  
> Anyways, here this is!   
> Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> <3  
> Trin

_And don't mind me, I'm just a son of a gun_   
_So don't stop, don't stop until your heart goes numb_

_-Novocaine by Fall Out Boy_

* * *

 

It turns out that Tony Stark was an ass. And a baby. But mostly an ass.

Media had always portrayed the billionaire as such but, come on, it was the media. Darcy thought perhaps they were magnifying certain traits or simply hopping on gossip. Yet, if anything, the media couldn’t manage to portray the true extent of his assly-ness. Perhaps his ego was so large, it could not fit into the screens.

It had taken about 2 days for the effects of ‘Starkstruck fangirl’ to wear off.  
It had taken about 3 days before it became less of Team Science and more of Family Science. Like a really bad version of a Sciency sitcom. Jane and Erik were the exasperated parents and Darcy and Tony were… the pushy children.

“Tony! The files you wanted are ready!” Darcy called, waving said file around in the air without bothering to look up from her computer.  
“Put it down next to you, Sweetheart.” Tony’s voice drawled from directly behind Darcy, whom started at his proximity. “I don’t like people handing me things.”

Darcy mouthed his words, having heard them enough times to his catchphrases by heart, and rolled her eyes. Swivelling around in her chair (she loved spinning chairs) to face the billionaire, Darcy very slowly and very pointedly put the file down on the table, maintaining sarcastic eye contact throughout.

“Thank you.” Tony sang, snatching up the file to rustle through the pages. But he wasn’t looking at the pages.  
“Stop staring at my boobs!” Darcy whacked Tony on the arm.  
“Well, when you have a view in front of you, you need to admire it.” Tony grinned.  
“Thank you. But I will tase you. Then I will tell Pepper.”  
“You wouldn’t.”  
“I would.”  
“No.”  
“Yes!”

Jane sighed very loudly from where she was hunched over several algorithms. Erik gave an amused little snort.

Darcy made a shooing gesture and spun round to get back to work. That was when a warm palm pressed itself to the small of her back and she jerked away, flailing her arms at Tony.  
“MY TASER IS LITERALLY IN MY HANDBAG!”  
“Don’t slouch.” Tony winked at her.

Darcy stuck her tongue out at Tony and he returned the gesture before the duo finally returned to their papers. The earlier statement needs to be amended. They’re not pushy children. They’re pushy _toddlers_.

 Occasionally a stray “Rik! Your hand writing sucks. Is this a 3 or a 5?” or “Jane, you know that to apply this equation to mechanics you’d need about-“ “70000 terawatts of power. Yeah.” “I could modify the design to reduce the energy intake without changing the radiation spectrum.” “Ok sure do that.” floated through the lab. But mostly, it was whispered rusting of pages, clacking of fingers waltzing across keyboards and occasional scratch of a pen that provided the soundtrack of working in Team Science.

Darcy caught herself fingering through a stack of new documents, searching for the one she had sent back to him. If her mind needed to be occupied and focused on something or tended to wander back to him, as inevitable as water to the ocean.

She wondered what he would write back.  
Perhaps he would write a passage on her mortalness. Or maybe a rousing speech about how “humans crave subjugation”.  
What if he didn’t write back at all? That would actually be the most likely outcome of this whole endeavour. Days of anxious anticipation and subtle rubbernecking to make sure no one was watching before rifling through his notes. Its not like she was anyone important afterall. Why would a god write a message back to her like a primary schoolgirl passing notes in class?

Jane’s SHIELD comm beeped a cheerful chirrup, dragging Darcy out of the haze of her thoughts like a bucket of ice water. After a brief glance, Jane tucked the device into her pocket and swept out of the room. Darcy knew what came next. It had become routine just after the first day. Heaven knows she needs a break right now.

A beat and a half later, Tony and Darcy stood in unison and met in the doorway.  
“Coffee?” Darcy asked.  
“Snacks.” Tony agreed.  
And they made their way to Their Spot.

“Kids these days…” Erik shook his head. 

* * *

 

Out came the coffee powder, creamer and sugar. Darcy lost herself in the ritual she performed daily, hands moving of their own violation, operating via muscle memory. These days, that lab was stifling. With Tony and him helping Team Science along, progress was faster than ever. But it was the bad kind of good. That particular breed of good things that did not come without cost. With expansive progress in the research, that meant immense amounts of work for all of Team Science.   
Particularly Darcy.  
Especially Darcy.  
(Transcribing everyone’s notes was no easy task no matter how menial!)

Tony had initiated their ritualistic getaways one Monday afternoon where the day had been dragging on forever and Darcy slouched over the scientists’ scribbles, sighing every few pages. Jane had gotten up to go to the ladies and Tony had leapt out of his seat, dragging Darcy by the forearm.  
“Let’s go get some Doritos.”  
“What?”  
“I’m craving Doritos. Let’s go get some.”

Doritos actually sounded like a really good idea. At least, better than mourning over equations and theories. Surprisingly, Erik was not that hard to convince.  
“And where are the two of you going?”  
“Doritos…?” Darcy smiled.  
“We are going to get you some coffee.” Tony added, “Immediately after we look for Doritos.”  
Erik hummed an affirmative and Darcy gave Tony a highfive.  
Since then, every time Jane left the lab for one reason or another, Tony and Darcy would go on their little break.

Now, Darcy was swinging her legs out over the platform, resting her elbows on a supporting rail with a mug of caffeinated goodness steaming away in her hands. Tony sat beside her, legs crossed. He was fiddling with his Starkphone. A box of strawberries was settled between them and Darcy plucked a plump fruit from the box, bringing the fruit to her lips. Its sweet yet tart flavour burst upon her tongue and Darcy smacked her lips in approval.

“These are really good! Where did you get them?”  
“What? Oh. Got them for Pepper. Turns out she’s allergic to strawberries. Who knew?” Tony shrugged, slipping his phone into a breast pocket.

Tony stretched his arms over his head and his shirt rode up just a little. Darcy couldn’t help but think _yum_.  
He gestured to the scene below them. “Doesn’t it make you feel like a god?”

They were on the edge of some platform in a nook for SHIELD’s immense facility. It was concealed in the shadows yet allowed a clear view of the floor it overlooked. Down below, scientists and agents scuttled like ants. They were so high up that they looked like toy figurines. It was strange to witness the system you’re usually part of from a detached perspective. To merely observe chaos instead of being part of it.

“Not really.” Darcy answered. “I like to be part of the action, ya know? To just sit by and watch? Its… kinda lonely.”  
“Well, I like to sit by and watch. Let the peasants do their work!” Tony smirked.  
“What exactly are you implying?” Darcy crossed her arms indignantly.  
“You know what I’m implying.” Tony leered and Darcy laughed.  
“Oh! Just drink your damn coffee.”

The two sat in companiable silence for awhile more, watching the bustle of activity below. Rows upon rows of desks lined each side of the space. An empty platform at the end of the room was swarmed with beeping machinery. Multi-coloured cables snaked around the room which was washed in an industrial white light. Darcy was nearing the end of her cup of coffee and beginning to feel almost human again when Tony spoke.

“You know, Clint showed me this place.”

Clint. Clint. Why did that sound familiar? Clint Barton? HAWKEYE?!  
“I’M SITTING WHERE THE HAWKEYE’S BUTT HAS ONCE CONTACTED?!!?!?” Darcy squealed, glad that her cup was nearly drained or it would have spilled.

“Woah. Calm down tiger.” Tony took the cup out of Darcy’s hands and set it down beside the box of strawberries. “Must you get so excited everytime you hear about an Avenger?”  
“YEEESSS!!!!” Darcy flapped her arms in full out fangirl mode.  
“That’s it. I’m bringing you to the next Avengers meeting just to see you foam at the mouth.”

Darcy would have fallen off the platform from excitement had Tony not grabbed her shoulders. 

* * *

 

Upon returning to t he lab, Darcy gave Erik his caffeinated compensation for silence and plonked down into her seat. It was then that Jane decided to murder the good mood.  
“Darce! There’s some new data on your desk. The stuff you sent back last two days ago is there too. We had it checked over and run through, all mistakes have been taken care of.”

Darcy felt herself stiffen in her seat, her heart accelerating its tempo. She swallowed, throat suddenly dry.  
“Ok! Thanks.”

She tried to be as subtle as she could, really. But in all honesty, Darcy practically scrambled through the stack of paper, looking for what he wrote.

It was right there, an anomaly amongst the equations and formulas. Written in his elegant hand, underneath her blocky:  
_There’s nothing wrong. I just want to say hi._

Was one word. A. _Single._ Fucking. Word.  
_Hello.  
_ That was it. **_That was it!_**

Honestly, Darcy didn’t know what she was expecting. But a single word response definitely was not it. And for some reason, she felt quite cheated. Insatisfaction settled into her gut like a lost argument and she picked up her pencil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Do comment/kudos/share if you think me worthy.  
> Any and all constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> Till next chapter!


End file.
